ABSCS 09

Chapter 09

 The Black Death (4)

“Baron!”

Two days had passed since Baron Boyle gave his order to his aide.

“Did you finish what I asked?”

“Yes, sir.”

Because his territory was so small, the investigation had wrapped up quickly.

“And the results?”

The baron asked impatiently.

But the aide’s expression was strange.

“Well… it’s rather bizarre.”

“What’s bizarre?”

“First of all, it wasn’t a doctor who cured the disease—it was a blind girl.”

“…A blind girl?”

The baron muttered in disbelief.

It was an unlikely combination.

In the conservative land of Jigu, medicine was almost exclusively a male profession.

And now he was being told that a blind girl—not even a licensed doctor—had cured a plague that even the royal physicians had failed to treat?

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“I assure you, it’s not. I went to the village myself and saw patients lining up from far and wide. Those whose limbs had blackened and were close to death would recover completely once they entered her tent.”

“That’s…”

It was hard to believe.

“The townspeople already call her a saintess and praise her. What shall we do?”

“Hmm…”

The baron let out a low groan.

“For now, start preparing for the palace visit next week. We’ll discuss this more in the evening.”

“As you wish.”

Nobles of Jigu were required to make regular visits to the palace and meet the king.

Although Baron Boyle held no significant official title, he was no exception. He ordered his aide to fetch his ceremonial robes and turned to gaze out the window.

‘A saintess, huh…’

Saints and saintesses.

Those called the blessed ones of God first appeared over 500 years ago.

Naturally, as faith waned over time, their existence faded into legend. Fewer and fewer people believed in the main god, Aether.

But if that blind girl really was a saintess…

‘Everyone would want her.’

Maybe this plague wasn’t just a natural disaster after all.

The baron felt a chill of foreboding as he stared out the window.

A week later.

“Is there truly no physician capable of curing the queen?!”

King Edwin of Terra, ruler of Jigu, roared. The court officials all lowered their heads deeply.

“Your Majesty, please calm yourself. The kingdom’s finest doctors are doing all they can to treat Her Majesty—”

“What use is that?! The queen is still suffering!”

The king’s anguished cry silenced the court. The nobles avoided his gaze, and the king’s clenched fists trembled.

‘This is bad.’

Baron Boyle shuddered at the sight.

King Edwin had seized the throne by killing his father, brothers, and all opposing nobles.

Yet his love for the queen had always been deep and sincere. If she were to die, a bloodbath would surely follow.

The story of the saintess healing his territory’s people floated through his mind.

‘But I can’t mention something unverified in the royal court.’

If he was wrong, he’d be punished.

But on the other hand…

If the queen died and the saintess turned out to be real?

‘Then I’d definitely die.’

He felt a chill in his gut.

His barony lay at the far edge of the kingdom, far from the capital.

Just traveling back and forth for verification would take at least a month.

The queen might not survive that long.

‘Damn it. If I’m going to be punished either way, I might as well speak up.’

He closed his eyes tightly and said,

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not confirmed, but…”

“Just say it.”

The king, desperate for even a sliver of hope, urged him on.

“There is a blind girl in my territory… she is said to be curing people infected with the Black Death.”

“A blind girl?”

“Yes. I sent a servant to check, and the villagers who were dying are now all alive.”

His words caused a stir among the nobles.

“A blind girl? What nonsense. Baron Boyle, do you truly believe such a rumor?”

“Well, you never know.”

“She’s a commoner, judging by her freedom of movement… How could some random girl cure a disease even the top doctors can’t handle—?”

“Enough!”

Edwin slammed the throne with his hand, and the noisy court fell silent.

He glared at his ministers and declared,

“This plague is spreading across the entire nation, not just the palace. Now is the time to verify even baseless rumors. Do you disagree?”

“You are right, Your Majesty.”

“You said this girl is in your territory?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The baron nodded.

Edwin looked down at him and ordered,

“Bring the girl to the palace. By any means necessary.”

“Good morning, Saintess!”

“Do you need anything, Saintess?”

“You’re beautiful today too!”

As I walked through the village, warm voices greeted me from every direction.

Tap, tap.

Leaning on the wooden cane Mars made for me, I turned toward the voices and smiled.

“Good morning.”

“Thanks to you all, I live comfortably. I’m fine.”

“Haha… thank you for the kind words.”

And so, responding to everyone’s greetings had become my daily routine.

‘Maintaining this persona is exhausting.’

I’d intended to join a religion for quest purposes, but becoming a saintess?

It felt like I had to act incredibly noble and divine all the time.

I gently touched the rosary around my neck.

I hadn’t planned to wear it, but one day Mars gifted it to me, so I did.

‘Still, it’s working.’

[Main Quest]

Save 1 billion people.

Current: 53,192 people

Progress on the main quest had passed 50,000!

‘Over the past five years, I’d only saved about 700 people in total…’

This was a huge jump.

[Class Advancement Quest]

Be acknowledged as a saintess by 100,000 people.

Current: 12,431 people

Even the new class advancement quest was steadily progressing.

‘Things are moving faster now.’

It had already been two months since I arrived in Jigu.

For nearly 70 days, with Mars’ help, I had been treating Black Death patients across the barony.

Excluding the first ten days, I was treating around 30 patients a day.

That meant about 1,800 patients in two months.

Then why had the number of people “saved” exceeded 50,000?

Simple.

Curing one patient meant their family and friends were also thankful.

In a way, it was like healing their hearts too.

Besides, preventing others from getting infected by spreading hygiene practices—washing hands, brushing teeth, covering coughs—meant I was also saving people indirectly.

Now the number of “saved” individuals kept rising on its own.

‘Automatic points income is the best!’

No wonder people in my past life were obsessed with passive income.

“The building is complete. Starting today, we can move operations there.”

“Really? That’s great!”

I clapped my hands and smiled brightly.

“With a building, patients won’t have to wait outside anymore. Please thank the villagers for me.”

“They’re all eager to help. Everyone in the territory owes you their life.”

Mars really meant it when he said he’d do anything if I saved his daughter.

“Please climb on, Saintess.”

He carried me on his back all the way to the hospital.

What about Amy?

“Take care, Saintess!”

She greeted me and then went off to play with the other village kids, like always.

Honestly, she could’ve come along, but her father Mars seemed to have other thoughts.

Even with my divine power, being near infected patients was always risky.

“The weather is wonderful today.”

As he carried me, Mars chatted to keep me from getting bored.

But for me…

“There were so many clouds yesterday, but not a single one today. Flowers are blooming, and the path is lined with yellow tulips. They’re lovely.”

“…Is that so?”

I gave a vague smile.

‘He’s narrating the entire scene to me.’

Everyone, including Mars, believed I was blind.

Which made sense.

Even if I claimed I could see with eyes like these, who would believe me?

…And to be fair, my eyes are nonfunctional. Technically, I’m blind—with a spiritual sight.

“Saintess.”

Just as I was lost in thought, he spoke again.

“Perhaps… you should take the day off.”

“…What do you mean?”

I’d expected him to keep describing the scenery, so I tensed up at his unexpected words.

His shoulders tensed.

“Every time you treat someone, your body—”

But Mars trailed off. After a short breath, he corrected himself.

“No… never mind.”

“Mars?”

“I… overstepped. Please forget it.”

Ah.

I knew this setup.

‘Is he worried about me?’

Honestly, I’d been pushing myself hard. Every time I treated a plague patient, it felt like I’d collapse foaming at the mouth from the pain.

The patients and their families, overjoyed, had no idea.

But Mars, who stayed by my side, had seen it clearly.

He wasn’t stupid—he knew my condition worsened with each healing.

[Analgesia: 200,000p]

Reduces all pain to less than 10%. Doesn’t make you invincible—still be careful.

I looked longingly at the Analgesia skill I couldn’t afford.

‘If I had that, I could treat 100 people a day!’

Treating 30 daily was decent, but I was growing impatient.

The royal summons I expected hadn’t come yet.

‘The queen should be near death by now.’

According to Liliana, the queen fell ill early in the plague.

Now, two months into the outbreak, she had to be in critical condition.

‘If she dies, everything falls apart.’

I bit my lip in anxiety.

Then—

“Hey, you there!”

A gruff voice rang out.

Peeking around, I saw armored soldiers approaching.

Mars asked warily,

“Who are you?”

“We’re here by order of His Majesty. We’ve come to take the girl.”

“His Majesty?”

Mars’ grip around my legs tightened.

I appreciated his loyalty, but this was overprotective.

Still, it didn’t suit my character to say that outright…

So I had to take the lead myself.

“What’s going on?”

“We heard you can cure the Black Death! Her Majesty is in critical condition—you are to come to the palace at once!”

“Hah.”

Mars scoffed.

“Even so, isn’t this approach a bit rude? You barge in without notice, making demands. Do you even have proof?”

“Hmph. If you refuse, we’ll take her by force.”

The tension rose between the two sides.

Of course, I had no intention of letting things escalate.

With eyes closed, I smiled calmly and said,

“It’s all right, Mars.”

“But—”

“There’s someone sick at the palace, right? Then I must go.”

The soldiers, who had been intimidating a moment ago, flinched at the composed voice of a twelve-year-old.

They’d probably come on strong after seeing Mars’ scary face, but now guilt crept in.

“How long does it take to reach the palace?”

“…About a week by carriage.”

“All right. Let’s go together.”

Mars looked unhappy but didn’t object when I said I wanted to heal someone.

“She alone has permission to enter. You cannot come with her.”

“What?! That’s absurd!”

There was some commotion in the middle, of course…

“Don’t worry too much, Mars. I’ve done nothing wrong. They wouldn’t hurt me, right?”

I said with a smile, and Mars reluctantly backed down, looking ready to explode.

‘Five years of pretending makes it second nature.’

As I sat in the carriage with the soldiers, I looked out the window.

‘All right. Let’s go take a look at the royal palace.’

I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of the treasure chest of points waiting for me.

Everything was going according to plan.